Lively, young Richmond small forwards Jason Castagna and Dan Butler continue to feature prominently among the competition’s rising star contenders in a variety of key categories this season.
Castagna, who kicked two goals in the Tigers’ 26-point victory over Carlton at the MCG last Sunday, is second on the rising stars’ goalkicking list with an overall tally of 15 after 14 home-and-away rounds (13 games all-up), just three behind Brisbane’s Eric Hipwood.
The 20-year-old Tiger (he turns 21 on July 12) has scored multiple goals four times, with a best return of four against Brisbane at the Gabba in Round 4.
He is third on Richmond’s goalkicking list and is ranked first among rising stars for marks inside 50, third for inside-50 entries, fourth for contested possessions and seventh for tackles.
Butler, 21, is equal third among rising stars for goals, with a total of 13 goals (in 11 games), including two against the Blues last Sunday.
He’s also booted multiple goals on four occasions, is fourth on the Tigers’ goalkicking table, and ranks first among rising stars for total bounces, fourth for inside-50 entries, fourth for goal assists, fifth for marks inside 50 and fifth for tackles.
To be eligible to be nominated for the AFL’s Rising Star award, a player must be younger than 21 years of age on 1 January of the award year and have played 10 or fewer senior games before the start of the season.
Butler received a Rising Star nomination following an impressive two-goal performance in Richmond’s Round 11 victory over North Melbourne at Etihad Stadium.
Fellow Tiger skilful, speedy small forward Daniel Rioli, who was a Rising Star nominee late in his 2016 debut season of AFL football, has kicked 12 goals in 13 games this year and been a valuable contributor for the team through his strong defensive pressure.
